S. 1911 — HEALTH Panel Act

This section establishes a 15-member Panel of Health Advisors within the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to provide technical expertise and recommendations on CBO's health-related studies, analyses, cost estimates, models, and publications (e.g., Budget and Economic Outlook, Federal Health Subsidies for Health Insurance reports). (As background, CBO provides nonpartisan budget and economic analyses to Congress, including official cost estimates for legislation; the Panel targets improvements in these functions for health care issues such as Medicare and Medicaid.) The Panel must meet at least annually; issue an annual report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the House and Senate Budget Committees detailing its approved recommendations (by vote of at least 9 members) to CBO and CBO's use of them; and have that report published on CBO's website. CBO's Director, in consultation with Budget Committee leaders and Panel members, sets meeting and report priorities; and may establish conflict-of-interest disclosures and confidentiality agreements for Panel members. Panel members, serving as special government employees, are appointed within 90 days of enactment—3 each by the House Budget chair and ranking minority member, 3 each by the Senate Budget chair and ranking minority member, and 3 by the CBO Director—with qualifications emphasizing expertise in health finance, economics, actuarial science, health management, drug development, providers, payers, and related fields. Members serve 3-year terms (staggered initially), with vacancies filled by the original appointing authority; the CBO Director designates the chair and vice chair (considering Budget chairs' recommendations).